The Book of The Dead of ancient Egypt is not really a book. It is really called in ancient Egyptian "spells to go forth in the day". It is a compilation of texts written for the deceased and placed in funerary contexts. First carved in pyramid walls (The Pyramid Texts) in the Old Kingdom, then written all over the sides and inside walls of sarcophagi (Coffin texts) in the Middle Kingdom, and much more proliferating texts appeared in the New Kingdom and Late Period, accompanying the deceased in rolls of papyrus inside their coffins.
These texts are instructions for the deceased, abling him or her in the passage through eternity, how to avoid dangers and monsters, revealing secret names of guardians, insuring the deceased will pass all the phases of the judgement and that his herat does not betray him or her, instructing shuabtis and uschebtis on how to farm and crop in the fields of the afterlife, praising gods who help the deceased and identify with them like Osiris, a travelling or traversing eternity, going forth, is a proof that the individual is alive forever.
What's in it for you? You get to chose a free book from the Thames & Hudson spring catalogue! Entries can be in Old English, Latin, French, normal English, Ancient Greek or hieratic, as long as you provide us with a plain English translation! ;)
Have you always wished to meet Dr. Hawass in person? Now is your chance! The world-famous archaeologist comes to London in December and Heritage World Press invites you to a special lecture by the Egyptologist - and maybe even dinner. Zahi Hawass will also introduce his two new books: Inside the Egyptian Museum and A Secret Voyage.
Reception & Lecture at the British Museum
Tuesday, 8th of December Dr. Zahi Hawass - probably the world's most famous Egyptologist - will speak at a special lecture in the British Museum's lecture theatre, after a reception in the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery. The lecture - where 600 of you will get the chance to hear Dr Hawass tell about his work - is organized by Heritage World Press and the British Egyptian Society to celebrate the launch of the SCA's Secretary General's new book.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Fri, 11/13/2009 - 17:13
We've already heard Lord Norwich's warnings about the perilous future of his beloved Venice (watch this video). But throughout human history, what have been the planet's greatest cities - and how did they come to be? Lord Norwich's latest book, The Great Cities in History (see more info here) attempts to explain that over 300 pages of exquisite photography and expert opinion on 70 of man's greatest settlements.
John Julius Norwich talks about his new book - The Great Cities in History - which looks at the various influential cities throughout the ages. Looking at the impact that rivers had on early civilisation, and the role that ship building played, to how modern cities grew in prominence.
BRITISH WRITER DISCOVERS THE PHARAOHS’ LOST UNDERGROUND
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
A British writer has staked claim to finally finding the lost underground of the Pharaohs which has been rumoured to exist since the construction of the Great Pyramid nearly 5,000 years ago, creating a stir that is set to rock the Egyptological world.
Armed only with the forgotten memoirs of a nineteenth century British engineer, history and science writer Andre Coolings, tracked down the entrance to this forgotten tunnel system and was the first to explore it in modern times.
Is it possible that Coolings has beaten the Egyptologists at their own game by finding the entrance to Giza’s lost underground?
Tracing the history of wine parallels explorations into the history of humanity and its traditions. There is no food or beverage that is so intensely scrutinised by its fans, so it comes as no surprise to find the origins of viticulture and winemaking are subject to similar scrutiny.
A single Eurasian grape species (Vitis vineifera L. subsp. Sylvestris) is believed to be the source of almost all of the world’s wine today. Scientific testing allows archaeologists to trace this, but understanding how wine was first discovered and made, and the leap from that to the domestication of vines relies on a multitude of archaeological disciplines.
McGovern: a Leader in His Field
Author Patrick McGovern is a senior research scientist and adjunct associate professor in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. He is unique because his work crosses many disciplines, including the physical sciences, archaeology and the humanities. He pioneered biomolecular archaeology, a rapidly developing field which has advanced our understanding of ancient wine and food cultures.
Have you always wished to meet Dr. Hawass in person? Now is your chance! The world-famous archaeologist comes to London in December and Heritage World Press invites you to a special lecture by the Egyptologist - and maybe even dinner. Zahi Hawass will also introduce his two new books: Inside the Egyptian Museum and A Secret Voyage.
